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A Western Australian man who acts as a pilot for some of the largest vehicles on Australias roads has just broken the one million kilometre barrier in his Toyota LandCruiser.
Mike Johnston and his wife, Nita, drive their 1989 Toyota LandCruiser 60 Series wagon as a pilot escort for oversized vehicles throughout Australia.
When Mr Johnson purchased the Toyota 60 Series LandCruiser diesel wagon for their Perth-based company Australian Escort Services in 1991, it had travelled 75,000km.
More that ten years later, the vehicle travels an average of 900km a day when working and has towed a caravan around Australia twice.
Despite travelling huge distances over the years, the four litre diesel four wheel drive has needed surprisingly little attention and is still performing reliably.
The engine has been rebuilt, a new set of rings installed at 860,000km and the four wheel drive had a new front differential fitted at 950,000km.
The LandCruiser still has its original gear box and starter motor.
The interior of the veteran LandCruiser has undergone some alterations over the years.
Its back seats have been removed and replaced with a fridge, two CB radios, two telephones (which run off a dedicated battery) and a false floor, which conceals a bed.
After taking the LandCruiser for a second trip around Australia in 2001 with his caravan in tow, Mr Johnston decided it was time to give the vehicle a short break.
He chose another Toyota this time a second hand LandCruiser 80 Series.
The LandCruiser 60 Series offered an ideal solution for our operations and a million kilometres later were extremely happy - thats why we went back to Toyota, Mr Johnston said.
I dont think anything else on the market would meet our needs.
The LandCruiser 60 Series is now semi-retired, according to Mr Johnston, but he remains extremely confident the vehicle has still got life in it, even predicting when it will need its next service.
I imagine that it will keep going and going - it might need an overhaul at 1,400,000km but at the moment its going strongly.
In the month he has owned it, Mr Johnston has already driven his latest secondhand LandCruiser 80 Series 8,000km.
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